Category Archives: Editorials

Print this articleOctober brought two significant pieces of news in the regional battle against unneeded developments in beautiful natural areas. First, the good news: On Oct. 31, the Navajo Nation Council voted 16-2 against legislation that would have given a … Continue reading →

Print this articleWe humans are tribal creatures, and it’s simple to get us to view other “tribes” — people not exactly like us — with suspicion and distrust. Hatred is easy; tolerance is difficult. Which is why it’s so disturbing … Continue reading →

Print this articleThe astonishing downturn in the price of oil over recent months has had far-reaching consequences. One of those has been to give urgency to previously lackadaisical discussions in Montezuma County about finding “something” to drive the local economy … Continue reading →

Print this articleIt would be easy to lambaste the Montezuma County Planning and Zoning Commission for its apparent opposition to a 17-mile bicycle and pedestrian trail proposed between Cortez and Mancos. The group of four (one member was absent) had … Continue reading →

Print this articleThe dispute between the Montezuma County commissioners and the Montezuma Mosquito Control District is one of the strangest clashes involving local-government entities in recent years. On April 18, the commissioners voted 3-0 to oust the district from its … Continue reading →

Print this articlePeople are working themselves into a lather over Bears Ears National Monument – a monument that does not yet exist but has been proposed by a coalition of five Native American tribes. It would cover some 1.9 million … Continue reading →

Print this articleOpponents of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, have long been frustrated in their efforts to get it overturned. They’ve failed time and again both in Congress and the courts. But they may be winning the battle through … Continue reading →

Print this article“Nobody’s irreplaceable,” my Free Press co-owner, Wendy Mimiaga, is fond of saying. Her point is that all of us leave our jobs at some point, and no matter how well we’ve filled our positions, eventually someone else is … Continue reading →

Print this articleIt’s been a decade since Republicans held the presidency as well as a majority in both houses of Congress, so it’s natural that they now have the bit in their teeth and want to move swiftly to further … Continue reading →

Print this articleAugust 2014 The July 7 public hearing on land use in the Dolores River Valley was disheartening for a number of reasons. One was minor, yet telling: It became clear that none of our county commissioners are familiar … Continue reading →